Epic fail!

I have to admit the title of this blog entry is largely based on my failure to keep my blog updated, I am almost tempted to delete the whole blog and start again to hide my embarrassment, however at least for now I will take a deep breath, shake my head ever so slightly and endeavour to turn over a new leaf - well in my blogging habits at least!

So the story since I last blogged...

Milo

New addition, in the form of Wilbur the hamster, new job moved house, moved in with a boy, more new additions - this time in the form of brothers Archie and Milo.

Archie

Milo steals Archie's food

Me and Deborah Harkness!

Got to meet the very lovely Deborah Harkness author of A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of life an amazing trilogy. Not going to lie I loved the books so much that I was a little awestruck and Deborah couldn't have been more lovely. Even got a picture!  

 

 



Completed studies and graduated! Yay :)  Having not actually studied for a long time (writing fiction does not even compare!)  I am not going to lie this was challenging but we did it, and am actually proud of all of us and made some amazing friends on the way.



Graduation day was made even more special...

 

 ...and obviously it goes without saying there has been baking...

So the year ahead promises to be equally as busy, wedding planning, the cover for my first novel now underway and fingers crossed publication is not going to be too far away! Lets just hope I manage to blog a bit more!

  

...back to reality...again

Totals...Twitter 4 Tweets ... Facebook...1 status update ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel (s)...possibly minus a few as am editing!
Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...0 (but I am going to make some tomorrow!)
Music mostly on spotify today ...Neil Finn, Blondie, Nelly, and up next Freemasons, Kelly Clarkson, Natasha Bedingfield and Ellie Goulding (bit of a mixture!).

Wow two posts in a month that's not happened for a while!
So the past week or so have seen visits from the parents and one mad cousin who stayed with me for a few days. It was great fun and very welcome after feeling sorry for myself for weeks due to the stupidness of a trapped nerve in my neck! I am not sure I had laughed so much for a very long time.

This was helped a lot no doubt at my cousins enthusiasm for the snow that continued to fall - thank goodness as I had been on the receiving end of many texts earlier in the year with the ridiculous amount of snow that we had here when they had none in the south west, I think I was also accused at one point of 'stealing all the snow.'

There wasn't a huge amount of snow but it was enough to keep her happy for a while, and the picture to the right I have been reliably informed is a snow frog (!) this from someone with an art degree!!! I can confirm that her sculptures are much better than her snowy creation.
For some reason the whole visit she was obsessed with frogs to the point she had told me that I should write my next book about ghost frogs, not entirely sure where that would fit but I promised to keep it in mind. Who knows if a scene needs livening up I could always use a few ghost frogs (!).

Needless to say I had a great time and was sad to see her go home only to be followed a few days later by my parents, its great when they come to visit its just horrible when they go home again I am sure it feels worse every time.

In any case I didn't have too much time to think about it as I finally got the all clear to go back to work. Six weeks is a long time to be off and bored and to have to do as you are told (I'm really not very good at that) especially when your job is hectic it's hard to do nothing - I was on the verge of throwing my television out of the window, if ever there was a reason to go to work daytime television is it.

I am very happy that now it is easier and not so painful to sit at my computer I can write more than I have for a long time, most of my time at the moment seems to be spent editing and I have to say I am being more brutal than I ever was with my first novel. I am just wondering if it is because my writing is worse or if I have learnt more - I am hoping it is the latter. That's it for now as I am off to have a Friday night editing session...yes it is true I know how to live!

Blog...re-booted!!

Totals...Twitter 2 Tweets ... Facebook...1 status update ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel (s)...nothing for a few weeks more to follow on that!
Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...0 (sadly lacking in the cupcake department, had some lemon cake does that count?)
Music mostly on spotify today ...have gone all high tech and made my own play lists full of randomness song playing at the moment A&E by Goldfrapp, up next Drive by by Train and Let Your Love Walk in by Paloma Faith

Am feeling slightly ashamed at my abandoning of blog! It lasted longer than my diary normally does but still not good. Lets see a quick catch up of life since...um...June 2012 (currently hanging head in shame!)

Book one still working with an editor on this one, think its a labour of love but am starting to feel that my writing is getting better the more I write so not sure where to go with this one when complete. Self publishing is an option, who knows? I don't! Tested edited parts (and last part still to be edited) on lovely housemate who cried twice and told me I was evil...I am hoping it was a compliment? The book is on a supernatural thriller theme I was being evil on purpose!

Book two that randomly I had the whole plot mapped out during a swimming session and it has nothing to do with swimming...weird! I keep tweaking trying to make my voice stronger, I've never done funny am hoping it is as funny as I think it is! Am currently road testing this with American friend...I know she will be honest I am nervously excited awaiting her feedback. During a random Tweet this week pondering out loud if I should be brave and enter book two into a comp got a reply from the lovely Trisha Ashley encouraging me to do just that. Kind of have to now it would be rude to ignore the encouragement! Thank you for that and the subsequent Tweets I needed that.
Will keep you posted the comp closes on 29 March 2013.

Book three which is a sequel to book two I am currently two thirds of the way through and that's the state of play at the mo.

Lots of things happened last year I got a new job which has been very interesting, studying for said job took up lots of time then by the time I stopped studying it was Christmas. This was almost a wash out and disaster for so many people and going back to the South West for Christmas and travelling by train on Christmas Eve was an epic journey, which was made fantastic by the sight of my parents who came to rescue me about 30 miles away from my destination to save me from another coach/train change.
They will probably not thank me for this but look at their amazing Christmas jumpers, definitely brought a smile to my face after travelling for 8 hours.

Incidentally I stole the penguin jumper it came home with me! I did consider wearing it everyday for work but it has so far been relegated to a drawer ready for next Christmas!



 My parents very rarely give me opportunity to take pics of them that I decided it was high time that they made an appearance on here!

So Christmas came and went, then the snow came...and went...eventually!

 Then stupidness happened and for whatever reason I managed to injure my neck. This caused me to be in a considerable amount of pain the likes of which I have never felt and would prefer never to feel again. It also resulted in me having to do what I was told, something I am not very good at. I am very happy to say that after physio, acupuncture, countless medications, hydrotherapy and mindfulness I appear to  be on the mend and am allowed to go back to work - this I am very happy about. Yes really!

Phew...so that's me almost up to date! So tonight is the first time I am going out for about 6 weeks and am going to the theatre I am very excited! And if this wasn't enough excitement my parents are coming to visit at the weekend along with my Very hyper cousin who will be staying with me, am wondering how I will cope!!!!

So with a bit of luck I will post soon, and perhaps I would have even done some writing (but only if I finish my assignment first!).

So it begins...

So I finally decided to start this blog to hopefully follow the interesting and maybe not so interesting things that happen in my life! If I am lucky it may even chart my progress as I try to get my first novel published...fingers crossed on that one! In the meantime I will keep writing as much as I can and endeavour not to bore people in the process!

I guess I should explain the title...I'm not sure what other writer's do before they settle down to the task of actually writing something but I have to say this pretty much sums me up. I only drink coffee when I am writing I don't drink it at any other time (weird I know!) and sometimes in order to do anything to stall the actual writing part I am very good at getting side tracked and make copious amounts of cupcakes to feed people with! Perhaps if I stopped baking I may actually write more? Who knows.

This week has been pretty cold and I woke up on Sunday morning to a blanket of snow and had to dig my car out of the drive which was not fun! I thought I'd put some pictures that I took on my blog to give anyone out there reading something pretty to look at.

That's it for now perhaps next time I will write more about writing?

Bye for now.